A Pokemon Fanfiction: Welcome Home, Ash
by EvilPenguinRika
Summary: Three-shot. He's finally back home in Kanto with plans to visit his mother back in Pallet Town. However, there seems to be something Delia Ketchum is hiding from him. /COMPLETE\
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: Based off of my headcanon for the Ketchum family.**

**~oOo~**

**A Pokemon Fanfiction**

"**Welcome Home, Ash"**

**Chapter One**

**~oOo~**

The horn of the ship roared from the harbour. The platform was lowered and its passengers began to leave the ship one by one.

Ash had just arrived back in his home Region, Kanto, with Pikachu at his side.

"I can't wait to go home to mom and Mr. Mime." Said Ash.

"Pi! Pika, pika!" His Pikachu cried out in happiness.

Ash walked off of the ship and looked at his surrounding. The only major harbour that existed in Kanto was in Vermillion City. The city where he achieved his third gym badge from Lt. Surge. He could remember the troubles that happened on that day. Brock and Misty showed him the reality of Pokemon battles and gym battles all together. No gym leaders in their right minds would shamelessly give away their badges – save for Misty's sister, Daisy.

"Pika, pi, pikachu."

They looked out and realized the sun was about to set. Ash sighed and looked at his best friend who rested on his shoulder. "You're right. We should stay here for the night. I kind of want to call up Professor Oak and my mom."

The trainer and Pokemon made their way towards the Pokemon Center that stood tall and proud in the city of Vermillion. The glass doors slid open and he walked in, taking in every nostalgic memory from his travels in Kanto.

"Welco – oh! I remember you!"

"Hey there, Nurse Joy." Ash smiled.

Nurse Joy returned the gesture. "How have you and Pikachu been?"

He and Pikachu looked at one another before Ash replied the nurse. "We've been doing great!"

She cocked her head to the side. "That's very good to hear. So," she paused and folded her hands in front of her as Chansey waddled over to the front desk. "What can I help you with?"

"We were sort of thinking of staying over here for the night. Do you have any rooms available, Nurse Joy?" He asked.

She nodded and grabbed a book out. Ash and Pikachu heard the pages being turned endlessly before Nurse Joy stopped. Her finger landed somewhere on the page and they waited for her reply.

"Yes. We have one single bed room available."

"Awesome! You hear that, Pikachu?"

"Pika pi!" Pikachu wagged his tail and did a little fist pump.

"Oh yeah." Pikachu hopped onto the counter as Ash rummaged around. He took out five worn out pokeballs and handed them over to Nurse Joy. "Do you think you can heal my Pokemon as well?"

She took the pokeballs and assured that they will be taken care of.

"Thanks a lot, Nurse Joy." He said before he and Pikachu left to their room.

Once in their room, Ash dumped his jacket and backpack onto the bed while Pikachu landed softly on the bed. He sat down next to him and petted him gently. "You stay here, buddy. I'm going to go make a call, alright?" He felt Pikachu nod his head.

Ash let out a sigh and got up from the comfy bed. He checked the time on the wall of the orange-lit wall. "Eight thirty... I think I'll give mom a call first." With that, he left the room and headed back to the lobby of the Pokemon Center.

The line of video phones on the walls were almost empty. He made his way over to one of the empty ones and sat down. He picked up the phone and dialed his house. He couldn't help but smile like a goof as he heard it rung. His hands clenched tightly on his pants and his leg continued to bounce up and down.

"_Ye – Ash!_"

"Hey mom." He said calmly. His eyes stung and his vision started to blur.

Delia Ketchum heaved. A small smile flashed across her face. "_Oh. My baby boy. How was your trip back?_"

Ash wiped his eyes. Hearing his mothers voice was the most soothing thing ever. "It was really great, mom." He replied – he heard his voice crack.

"_Ash... Don't you cry now. You're going to make me cry too._" She teased.

He bit his lower lip and breathed in deep through his nose to keep it from running down. "I miss you, mom."

His mother looked at her son with solemn eyes. "_I miss you too, Ash." She paused. "I assume you'll be leaving..._"

"Vermillion."

She nodded. "_Vermillion... You'll be leaving there tomorrow morning, yes?_"

"Yeah... I would have made my way to the next city today, but the sun had started to set. I didn't want to take the chance of having to camp outside. Especially since it's cold out."

"_That's my boy._"

They talked for hours and hours before it was got very late. Ash covered his mouth as he emitted a yawn.

"_You should go to bed, honey._" His mother told him.

He shook his head and dismissed it with the wave of his hand. "I'm fine. I'm almost seventeen, mom. I'm practically a grown up!" His eyes shone brightly despite it being ten thirty.

"_Ash. Please. You're still always going to be my baby boy, no matter how old you get._" She said. Her eyes grew warm and cast out a sense of safety and belonging to the teenage trainer. It was odd seeing how they were talking through the video phone.

"I know..." He chortled. "I guess I can never win an argument against you, huh mom?"

She breathed out. "_No, not really. Remember. I'm your mother, Ash._"

He bobbed his head. "I know... But anyways. How's Mr. Mime doing?" He asked curiously.

She flashed a grin at her son and clapped her hands together. "_Oh! He's doing exceptionally fine! He and I started a cleaning business!_"

His brows rose up as his pupils shrunk. "A what business?"

"_Cleaning business!_" She shrilled with happiness.

"Why would you do that, mom?" He frowned.

Delia giggled. "_Well... With you gone on your adventures. I don't really have much to do. Mr. Mime and I both. It always gets lonely here without you. Not to mention less work for us to do since you're not here and everything. I can't even remember the last time I picked up your dirty underwear..._" She beamed up at her son as he turned bright red at the mention of his underwear. "_And it's very hard to earn some income here. So Mr. Mime and I decided to start up our own cleaning business! I handle the paper works and Mr. Mime does the cleaning!_"

Ash pursed his lips and furrowed his brows. "Are you sure that's a good idea? What if Mr. Mime gets fed up with it?"

"_Ash. Don't you think I wouldn't have come up with a solution for that?_" She left the view and all he heard was rummaging of papers. He peered over to see if he could get better view of where his mother was. Soon, she came back and held up a piece of paper with colourful drawings everywhere.

"Uh... What's that?" He asked, pointing to the paper.

"_It's a contract Mr. Mime and I created. If one of us was ever fed up with the business, there would be a penalty._" She explained with ease. However, that didn't convince Ash at all.

"_Ash. Just trust your dear mother, okay?_" She begged.

He moistened his lips and crinkled his nose. He thought for a moment about the things his mother had told him about this silly cleaning business. But he figured this was something she really enjoys and wanted. And what she said was right. He's been away from home for such a long time, she must have been bored out of her mind. And with his father out on his own journey, it was rather difficult to earn some money to keep the house and everything.

"Fine." He said finally. "I guess I can't stop what you want to do."

"_Thank you, Ash._"

He shook his head. "It's no problem. I'm glad that you found something you want to do!"

She nodded.

"Any trainers still out here should get to bed. It's almost half past ten." Nurse Joy announced to the remaining people that sat around in the lobby.

"I should go. I'll see you tomorrow, bright and early, mom!"

She laughed. "_Don't you be cocky. Remember, you have to cross Mt. Silver and Viridian Forest to get back._"

"I know. Which is why tomorrow, I'll call up Professor Oak and ask if he can send one of my flying type Pokemon to pick me up and fly back home!" He said enthusiastically.

She breathed out. "_Oh Ash. Alright. I'll see you tomorrow. Sweet dreams._"

His voice then became soft and vulnerable. As if he reverted back to being ten. "Goodnight mom..."

The screen went black and he hung up the phone back on it's post. He got up from his seat and headed back to his room where he saw Pikachu already sound asleep.

**~oOo~**

Morning arise and the sunlight leaked into Ash and Pikachu's room through the gaps from the curtains. Pidgeys and Spearows crowed out loudly from outside. Young hopeful trainers ran around and battles could be heard from the next town over. Ash however, slept through it all. It was until his partner poked him continuously with his tail.

"Mm..." Ash rolled over to his side, facing the wall.

"Pika..." The electric mouse Pokemon let out an exasperated sigh. With his tail still on his trainer, he let out a gentle thundershock on him.

Ash jumped out of bed after being electrocuted and fell flat on his face. Pikachu rushed over to his side with worry.

"Pi! Pika pi! Pikachu pika pi pi!"

"I-I'll be – I'll be fine..." He said with coughs in between words.

Once Ash recovered from minor injuries, he quickly got dressed and grabbed his belongings. Pikachu ran up his back and landed on his shoulders.

"You ready to go, buddy?" He asked.

"Pika!"

"Alright. I just need to make a quick call to Professor Oak first." He said. He exited the room and down the hall until he reached the Pokemon Center's lobby. Ash headed straight to the video phones and sat down at the booth. He and Pikachu waited for the other line to pick up. His dark amber eyes glanced over at the large pokeball clock that hung dangerously on the insulated wall that was technically the ground for the upper floor. It read ten past nine.

"He should be up already..." Ash said, concerned that the ringing has gone on for so long. Finally, a click was heard and the screen showed a young looking man with hair that shone a dark hue green under the light.

"Tracey!" He cried out.

"_Whoa! Ash!?_" Tracey leaned forward with squinted eyes before he stood back up properly. "_Hey there Pikachu! How's it going you guys?_" He asked.

Ash laughed. "It's going great! I'm in Vermillion City right now."

"_You came back!? When!?_"

"Yesterday evening."

"_Oh man! Dude, we all miss you over here! All of your Pokemon from all over misses you as well!_" Tracey exclaimed.

"I can't wait to see them!"

"_Who's that on the video phone?_" Came an old friendly voice. The man stepped into view and Ash gleamed with happiness.

"Professor Oak!" Ash shouted.

"Pika, pi!"

"_Ash!?_" Professor Oak looked into the monitor with widen eyes. After he got over the initial shock, he grinned brightly. "_Ash! Pikachu! It's so good to see you two!_"

"Same here, Professor." Ash snickered.

"_Is there anything we can help you with, Ash?_" Asked the Professor.

Ash jerked his head up and down. "Actually. Could you possibly send in whichever one of my flying type Pokemon to pick us up from Vermillion to Pallet Town?"

"_One of your... Oh! I believe Pidgeot might be of some use._"

"Uh... Professor..." Ash grimaced at the mention of his former Pokemon. "You do remember that I released Pidgeot to protect the other wild Pidgeys from the Fearow and Spearows, right?"

Pikachu cowered down onto the table from the sad memory from having to see a good friend leave their team.

Professor Oak burst into a fit of laughter. "_Oh my. My memory must not be so well now that I'm all old and smelly, ha ha. Well then. You just stay there Ash. Don't worry about it. I'm sure you'll be quite pleased at who I'm sending to pick you up. Until then, wait outside the Pokemon Center. See you soon!_"

The visuals no longer appeared. Professor Oak had hung up on the two of them. Ash couldn't help but scowled out of annoyance. But not personally to Professor Oak. Just the mention of having to release one of his favourite Pokemon from back then.

He sighed and picked up Pikachu. He had to collect his Pokemon that he had caught on-hand with him from Unova. He scuffled his way towards the counter and rang the little bell that sat quietly on the table.

"Yes?" Nurse Joy asked as she turned around.

"Are my Pokemon healed up?"

She acknowledged his question and handed him a tray with mini pokeballs. "Here you go. They're all healed up properly."

He sent her a forced smile and grabbed the pokeballs, putting them onto his belt before he bid Nurse Joy goodbye.

"Come again anytime!" She called out.

**~oOo~**

"I wonder how long it's going to take for whoever is going to pick us up..." Ash stated as he threw a couple blades of grass into the lifeless wind.

"Pi..."

Ash laid down on the grass and looked up into the cold skies. His mind went back to the conversation with Professor Oak about Pidgeot. He withdrew his lips into his mouth and bit on them. His heart pounded guiltily – especially after remembering that he had told Pidgeot he'd find him again after he completed his journey in the Orange Island. But he never did.

"Ugh. I hate this feeling..." He muttered.

"Pi! Pika pi! Pika pika!"

He turned his head towards his yellow Pokemon and eyed his strange behaviour. "What's going on Pikachu?"

"Pika! Pika pika!" Pikachu jumped up and down restlessly. Ash narrowed his eyes towards his friend and sat up. Pikachu continued to reach up into the air with a glaring smile. That was when Ash decided to see what Pikachu saw.

Just then, Ash had also wore a sentimental grin that could rival a couple at the alter. He shot up, plucked Pikachu off from the ground and waved his arms.

"Pidgeot!" He screamed. Tears flooded his eyes and had ran down his tanned cheeks, but he didn't care. Ash called out the Pokemon's name over and over again. Pidgeot encircled the area he and Pikachu were and noticed his once-upon-a-time trainer. Pidgeot dive bombed towards them with a beautiful crash landing.

"Pidgeot! Pid! Pidgeot pidgeot!" Pidgeot flapped his wings which caused a slight dust storm around them.

"It's so great to see you, Pidgeot!"

"Pidgeot! Pi pidgeot ot!" The large bird Pokemon embraced his former trainer and companion in a feathery hug.

"Pi-pika pi! Pikachu pika pi pi!"

The other two Pokemon had started to shed some tears while Ash was trying to dry his tear-stained face.

"Oh! It's so good to see you, Pidgeot! I missed you so much!" He sobbed into Pidgeot's wings. "I'm so sorry for not keeping my promise about finding you again after the Orange Island adventures. I'm really, really sorry..."

The tip of his wings patted Ash's back and consoled him. Indicating that he forgave his childish and forgetful trainer. "Pi. Pidgeot, pidgeot."

He sniffed and looked at Pidgeot straight in his eyes. "T-thanks."

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**A/N: Ya know... This was originally going to be a one-shot. But clearly my mind isn't allowing that. But that's a'right. I kinda like separating this into chapters.**

**Also, the bit 'bout Pidgeot being released is from "Pallet Party Panic". It was pretty sad... Though it's probably not as sad as Butterfree leaving. Oh man. So much nostalgia...**

**-EPRika-**


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: Based off of my headcanon for the Ketchum family.**

**~oOo~**

**A Pokemon Fanfiction**

"**Welcome Home, Ash"**

**Chapter Two**

**~oOo~**

_**Previously...**_

_The tip of his wings patted Ash's back and consoled him. Indicating that he forgave his childish and forgetful trainer. "Pi. Pidgeot, pidgeot."_

_He sniffed and looked at Pidgeot straight in his eyes. "T-thanks."_

**~oOo~**

It was the next day and Delia Ketchum was scurrying around her house. Mr. Mime watched her with absolute worry.

"Oh my. Ash is going to be coming here soon!" She said to no one in particular. She checked the clock and it read five thirty. Delia frowned and turned towards the video phone. "I'll give Professor Oak a call..."

She walked up to the greenish-grey machine and called the Professor. Her face froze with concern.

The phone picked up but it wasn't the man she had wanted.

"_Mrs. Ketchum?_"

"Good morning Tracey," she said kindly. "Is Professor Oak there?"

"_Uhm, yeah. Hold on._" The green-haired man walked off screen. Delia tapped her foot on her living room floor and waited for the Professor.

With her wish granted, Professor Oak appeared on the screen with bags under his eyes. "_D-Delia? Do you know what time it is?_"

She nodded. "Yes. It's approximately five thirty-eight in the morning."

"_Then you realize that an old man like me needs to sleep, right?_"

"I know. I'm sorry Professor. But it's something urgent." She pressed.

He expected her urgency was something about her cleaning business, but once she explained what it was, he began to mindfully listen to her troubles.

"Ash is coming over here and I don't know what time. Red is upstairs sleeping. If Ash comes in now and if he sees Red in what he believed to be his room, he'll surely ask questions!" She shrilled.

"_That _is _a problem, Delia._" Professor Oak said.

She shook her head. "Has he called you? Ash mentioned about asking you to send over one of his flying type Pokemon to pick him up from Vermillion."

Professor Oak paused. He looked around for the clock and focused his attention back to Mrs. Ketchum. "_Delia. It's Ash. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't wake up so early._"

"Has he _called _you?" She insisted.

He sighed. "_No, Delia. He hasn't called me. You're my first caller today..._"

Delia pressed her hand against her chest and heaved. "Thank goodness... I still have time. Please call me back if he's contacted you, Professor."

Professor Oak nodded at her request before they hung up.

"Mime? Mr. Mime, mime?"

Delia looked over at her helpful Pokemon and smiled. "It's nothing to worry about, Mr. Mime."

The Pokemon watched as she headed back upstairs with a hurry.

Once back upstairs, she headed towards her son's room and knocked on the door gently. When there was no answer, she turned the knob and eased her way into the room. The lights from the blazing sun barely seeped into the room. The blinds and curtains were heavy duty – thanks to Delia's persistent – but not to mention there was only one small window.

Delia shuffled her way over to the bunk beds – the one where it's a bed on top and empty space on the bottom – and suppressed a giggle from the dangling feet at the end of the bed.

"Red." She called out softly.

He stirred, but to no avail. He continued to sleep.

"Red, sweetie." She said again.

Finally, the mysterious boy stirred and rolled over to his side with droopy eyes. "M-mom?"

Delia smiled graciously at him. "Wake up. There's something I need to tell you."

Red rubbed his eyes and yawned. She was surprised that Red's yawn wasn't a Pokemon move, it was easily contagious.

"Couldn't this wait until... What time is it?" With his eyes still shut closed, he entrusted his sight to his hands as they tried to find the alarm clock.

"It's already six in the morning, honey." Delia stated.

"Nn... Couldn't you talk to me about whatever it is at ten, or something? Or twelve?" He asked before he fell back into the warmth of his bed. He tucked his feet back into the bed and shivered as he felt how cold they were from dangling at the end.

Delia sighed. "No, Red. This is very serious. Your brother could come back anytime now."

This clearly did the trick. Red sat up with such swiftness that he heard his back cracked. "What do you mean by that? That he could come back anytime?"

His mother nibbled on her fingers and looked off into the side. "You heard the conversation I had with him yesterday evening. He's in Vermillion."

Red bobbed his head. "Yeah. I heard. So what? I can just sneak-"

"No!" She cried. "You're not sneaking out."

He threw the blankets off of him and hopped out of bed. He hissed as his bare feet touched the cold hardwood floor. "So, what do you suggest? Have him meet _me_? I thought we agreed that he shouldn't know about me? What ever happened to that, mom?"

Delia rolled her eyes and placed her hand on her son. "I remember, Red. And that's not what I'm suggesting. Yes it's a big dilemma seeing how we don't know _when _he'll get here, but knowing your brother, he's probably not able to wake up so early. I've called Professor Oak and Ash hasn't called him yet. I told the Professor to call me if Ash does call him up. So we just need to wait for that call."

"What if he forgets? You know how those senile old men are," Red joked.

"_Red Ketchum_." She hissed.

"S-sorry." He cowered.

Delia began to fiddle with her skirt. She made her way over to the window and flicked the blinds open. Light screamed into the room with such rudeness that the two of them had to close their eyes for a moment to get used to the light.

"Okay... Why exactly does this room have one window?" Asked Red, his eyes still shut.

"I don't know either." She answered.

**~oOo~**

It was half past eight and Delia was in the kitchen making breakfast for the three of them. Red went to make a brief visit to Green – the Trainer, as Professor Oak called it. She and Mr. Mime busied their way into another fruitful day, however, today caused the poor mother quite a bit of stress.

"Mime. Mime." He saluted to Delia, indicating that he had finished sweeping the entire house.

Mrs. Ketchum peered down at the mime Pokemon and smiled. She went down to Mr. Mime's eye level and thanked him for the hard work.

Delia set the plate full of hot scrambled eggs and bacon on the dinning room table. She looked up at the clock and exhaled softly.

Suddenly, the video caller rang. Mr. Mime was about to answer when Delia stopped him.

"It's alright, Mr. Mime. I got it. How about you help me set up the place?" She asked softly. Mr. Mime nodded and wandered into the kitchen to help with the servings.

She picked up the phone and saw Professor Oak on the screen. "I assume he called?"

"_Yup. Just a little bit after nine._" He answered. Delia checked the clock. It was already nine twenty.

"So, what now? What Pokemon did you send to pick him up?" She asked.

"_Pidgeot._" He said surely.

Delia furrowed her brows. "But Pidgeot is in Viridian Forest... Ash released him to protect the-"

"_I know the story, Delia._" He laughed. "_Pidgeot came back here on his own a few weeks ago. When Ash called me up this morning, I thought it would be a perfect idea to send Pidgeot over. I know how much history they have when Ash went around the Kanto Region. Plus, I don't think Ash ever gotten to finding Pidgeot after his trip in the Orange Islands._"

She pursed her lips. "That's true..." She shook her head and inhaled loudly. "Then, how long do you think it would take Ash to get from Vermillion to here?"

The Professor looked up and rubbed his chin with his forefinger. "_Well, I sent Pidgeot along a few minutes ago. It'll probably take an hour or two for Pidgeot to get there. And depending on the wind currents later this afternoon, it may take three, even. Not to mention the pit-stops they would have to take to rest up... So, maybe until four or five?_"

The mother looked around absentmindedly, calculating the time. She traced the numbers in her palm before she settled on the answer. "Okay... That should be enough time..."

"_Where is Red, if you don't mind me asking?_"

"He said he was visiting Green."

"_Green is in Viridian City, though..._" He replied, his brows seemed to have form a straight line and the wrinkles on his forehead grew saggier than before.

"What?"

He nodded. "_Yeah. Green is in Viridian City... I doubt Red would go all the way there without telling you about it._"

Delia dropped her head down as her hands attached themselves to it. She moaned out of annoyance. She crouched down into a ball. With her hands on her head and her thoughts running around, she could barely hear Professor Oak call her name. Mr. Mime finished serving breakfast and noticed his trainer. With a long face and a cry, he rushed over to Delia and placed his hand on her back.

"_Come on, Delia. I'm sure Red is fine. He's twenty-seven for Arceus sake,_" he said with a hoot. "_That boy is strong. He's probably just thinking about this whole 'Ash coming home' thing a bit. Haven't you guys dealt with this before when he came back from his trip in the Orange Islands, Hoenn and Sinnoh? What's there to be so nervous about?_"

The woman rose to her feet curtly, shocking the poor mime Pokemon and Professor Oak. Her eyes glossed with incoming tears and her lip quivered.

"I _know _we've done this a few times. It's just... It's killing me on the inside. I know Red and I agreed it's best for Ash _not _to know that Red's his brother – it would make Ash compare himself too much to him and resent him. I don't ever want that to happen!" She paused and thanked Mr. Mime when he came back with a tissue in his hand. "I hate having to put up with this charade to Ash. I'm sure Red does too! I _know _Ash. He's going to always compare himself to Red. It doesn't help that Red was the Champion of Kanto, either. Ash has already asked about his father – that damned bastard."

Professor Oak and Mr. Mime shared the same look of shock and fear. They have never once heard Delia say such vulgar words. Nor has they seen her in this big of a mess.

"_Delia..._" He huffed. "_I hate seeing you like this. You're like a daughter to me, you know? Well, you are technically my god-daughter – but that doesn't matter. Listen. I know how hard it is to continue to lie to Ash about being an only child and how his screw-up of a father is on some journey, but really, don't hold in such anguish and sorrow all to yourself like this. That's the one thing I've always had trouble with when I took care of you. You always bottle things up and when something serious happens, you snap and let everything out like a maniac._

"_I'm sure you and Red will be able to figure something out. Heck. An hour before Ash arrives, send Red over to my lab. He can stay there with me for a bit. That way, he and Ash won't meet in the house. Ash won't question why his bed looked used and everything. And you can still visit Red whenever you want. I don't think Red has much else to go other than head back to Mt. Silver to freeze to death._"

Delia's tears continued to fall down her cheeks, but instead of a hurt frown, she was smiling. She sniffed before she said anything. "You always know what to say, Professor..."

He shrugged. "_I'm a man of many words. Remember, not only am I a Professor, I'm a poet as well!_"

She grinned. "Thank you Professor... Really... I appreciate all that you've done for me."

He dismissed her comment with a shake. "_Don't be. That's what god-fathers are for. They take care of their god-daughter when their actual father is absent._"

Delia wiped her nose with the Kleenex. "Gary sure is luck to have you take care of him."

The old man's bright and energetic face fell quiet. He looked at Delia with such sorrow that it gave her chills.

"_Well... I have to take care of him. After my youngest son, daughter-in-law and granddaughter all died in the plane crash, he was different... He isolated himself from the world. It was heartbreaking to me. He lost his parents and sister at the same time. It must have been traumatic for him or something like that..._"

The adults remained quiet for two pregnant minutes. No words or sounds came out from either of them. They didn't need any verbal communication to understand how one another feels. Their nonverbal communication did just fine. Their facial expressions shared the same sadness – albeit different stories, but still held onto that pain and guilt.

"I shouldn't keep you from your research, Professor." She said softly.

The Professor nodded. "_You be well now, Delia. And remember. If there's anything bothering you, please tell me. I'm here to listen to you – whatever it may be._"

The corners of her mouth curled upwards. "I will Professor." The screen turned black.

"Mime? Mr. Mime, mime mai..." He looked up with her, his brows arched downwards and a frown greeted his face.

Delia patted her Pokemon. "It's nothing to worry about. I'm fine, Mr. Mime. Thank you for worrying about me."

The mime was still worried, but he sensed that she wanted to be alone so he headed into the other room and checked to see if there's anything to do.

Delia walked over to the table and pulled the chair out for her to rest. Her entire body slumped back into the chair. Her head tilted further back than expected, stretching her neck. Her eyes focused on the currently-off light that hung down by a chain.

"I wonder where Red is... If he isn't visiting Green... Where else could he be?" She asked herself.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**A/N: Dun dun duh. Secret is. Red is Ash's older bro, if you guys didn't quite get it from reading. But I'm sure you all did.**

**I incorporated my headcanon for the Oak's a bit in this... It's kinda sad how I do that sometimes... Making these characters have such a sad past and all... Habit I guess...**

**-EPRika-**


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary: Based off of my headcanon for the Ketchum family.**

**~oOo~**

**A Pokemon Fanfiction**

"**Welcome Home, Ash"**

**Chapter Three**

**~oOo~**

_**Previously...**_

"_I wonder where Red is... If he isn't visiting Green... Where else could he be?" She asked herself._

**~oOo~**

After being woken up by his mother at six in the morning, Red thought about the way his mother had reacted during that time. One would have thought she'd be used to it by now.

The twenty-seven years old boy sat on the sofa while his mother was somewhere in the house. Probably freaking out some more about Ash coming home and what Red would do since she would be kicking him out in a way. Red's fingers folded neatly on top of each other as his lips pressed onto the overlaps of the thumbs and index fingers. His elbows used his lap as support. His eyes were closed and he thought of all the things that him and his mother had done previously. He didn't understand why she was making this such a big deal. If worse comes to shove, he could simply say that he was an old friend. What can another lie do, anyways? He's been lied to throughout his childhood life. With their father being abusive and blatantly told their mother that he does not want to help take care of Ash and all.

His eyes fluttered opened and a scowl was freshly placed on his face. He hated having to think about their father and what he put their mother in. She had it tough; two months pregnant with Ash and he just up and left. Apparently, Ash believed the safe version. That their father was off on his own journey.

"Dammit all..." He cussed under his breath.

Soft footsteps sounded all the way into the living room. He turned around in his seat and saw Delia already downstairs. He looked at her and sighed. The things she has to keep from Ash. Neither party enjoys it. He would do anything to tell Ash the truth about him.

"Why can't everything be easy?" He asked himself before he threw his head into his hands.

"Mime?"

He lifted his head slightly, his hands still covered the lower half of his face. He saw Delia's Pokemon with an apron around his waist and a broom that occupied his hands. He had worn a frown and Red knew he was worried. He sat up with his hands on his lap and smiled at Mr. Mime.

"It's fine, Mr. Mime. I'm just... Thinking..."

"Mime? Mr. Mime, mai..."

He chuckled. "I guess... It's the whole thing with Ash. I hate that we can't tell him the truth... But I mean. You know Ash. He's just going to try to live up to whatever expectations he believes I may have of him. And if he were to fail, he'd just put himself down... Not to mention he'll begin to think that he's living in my shadow. I don't _ever _want him to feel like that. The feeling sucks, believe me."

The mime Pokemon nodded and uttered a couple more words to Red.

"Mr. Mime?" Called Delia.

The Pokemon left Red on his own in the living room and tended to receive whatever request his trainer wanted him to do.

Red laughed quietly and gazed on after him. He looked down at his pokegear to check up on the time.

"Eight huh..." He put it back into his pockets and got up from the sofa. Red made his way into the other room where Delia and Mr. Mime were. He didn't quite make himself go unheard of when he entered the dinning room. His mother and Mr. Mime turned to face the creator of the heavy pounding and saw Red bashfully lean against the door frame.

"What is it, Red?" Delia asked worriedly.

"Um," Red's eyes wandered around the room as he bit his lip. His hand mindlessly played with the bill of his cap before he answered his mother's question. "I'm going to head out for a bit," he paused. "To visit Green."

She tilted her head. "Oh. Green's here in Pallet Town?"

He nodded. "Yeah. I promised I'd meet him uh, soon or whatever."

Delia gleamed towards her eldest son. "Okay then. You go on ahead. Remember to come back soon for breakfast."

He gave her a quick nod of the head. "Will do, mom!" And with a salute, he left the house.

**~oOo~**

Red kicked a stray rock and it bounced away from him. He reached the rock again and gave it another harsh kick. He wasn't really off to see Green. His former rival was in Viridian City, taking care of the Viridian City Gym. It would have been his – though he gave up that position to Green. Red didn't need it. He wanted to continue on his Pokemon journey.

But now that he's the Champion of Kanto, there really isn't anything to do. He pretty much lives on top of Mt. Silver in the damn cold. Why he continues to wear the same black t-shirt, red vest and jeans every day whilst he stood there and waited for a strong opponent beats him. It surprised him that he hasn't gotten sick either. During his day off, he'd go into one of the near-by city and ask Nurse Joy to give him a blood test to see if he could be some sort of alien. Turns out negative every time.

The young man mindlessly walked to wherever his feet took him. He didn't bother to check his surroundings. Nothing happened much in Pallet Town. He heard Pidgey's chirp above him. He tilted his head back and watched as they flew out into the vast skies. From the distance, he saw a flock of Spearows squawk at each other. He chuckled before he continued his aimless walk.

"Come on Nidorina!"

"Dodge it, Caterpie!"

Red heard the cries of young Pokemon trainers battle it out on the wide field. His eyes stuck closely on their battle. He checked the time on his pokegear and sighed with a smile. He still had time. He wandered off the path and sat down on the hilt that connected to the pathway and the field – it was pretty much a miniature cliff, so to speak.

"String shot, Caterpie!"

"No! Nidorina!"

He observed the two trainers. The Nidorina was caught in a sticky string of silk caused by the Caterpie. Nidorina's trainer tried to get his Pokemon to break free. Caterpie's trainer giggled and spun around, her skirt flowed gracefully as it floated back down against her legs.

"I win! I win!" She shouted.

"No you don't! You haven't won yet! One of our Pokemon has to _faint _first, dummy!" He retorted.

He saw the girl put her hands on her hips roughly. He would have thought she punched herself in the side or something.

"Hey! I'm not a dummy!" She shrilled.

The little boy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, you are a dummy, dummy!"

When she didn't say anything. Red got a little worried. Thoughts were going off in his head. Was she going to cry? Was she crying right now? What about a temper tantrum?

The little girl stuck her hand out and pointed at the boy. "Caterpie, string shot him, now!"

Red winced as the boy shouted in terror. Caterpie's string shot binded him tightly – leaving his head out however. He was wrapped up like a cocoon.

"That much suck," he said quietly. He saw that nothing much would come of interest to him now that the children were having their little spat, he decided to leave before it became cumbersome. He wasn't exactly in the mood to be trapped by string shot. He's been frozen before obviously, but he'd rather remain free and moving.

He hopped back onto the dirt road. Though now that he's got a very clear mind. He looked around and realized he was fairly close to Professor Oak's lab. His fingers idly rubbed against one another. He was pretty tempted to head on over there, but he knew that if he wasn't back home on time, he won't have any breakfast.

**~oOo~**

He had to sprint at the last few minutes before it was ten. He was already late for him and his mom's daily breakfast routine. He had a feeling she hadn't packed up everything just yet. Once he saw his house in sight, he pushed himself as much as possible and reached the front door. He twisted the knob and fell in. His face landed onto the soft rectangular carpet with Sunfloras and Hoppips everywhere. His crash landing did not go unnoticed. Mr. Mime and Delia rushed to the front door to see who had caused that noise. Mr. Mime believed it was a break-in, so he was ready to use one of his moves on the burglar. Delia held up a broom just in case.

"Mime!"

"Red!"

He pushed himself up with his arms and somehow knelt on the floor. His head rose up to see Mr. Mime and his mother towering over him with furrowed brows and upside down smiles.

"I'm fine, ha ha." He assured them.

Delia frowned even more as he helped him up on his feet. "You should be more careful, Red. Why did you even fall on your face in the first place?"

He looked away with a face that very well sums up why his name is "Red".

"Sweetie..." She warned.

"W-well... I thought I wouldn't get breakfast because it's already ten and whatever. So I rushed back home." He explained quietly.

Delia's face fell with a smile. "Red, honey. I would still have saved you breakfast."

"I-I know... S-sorry mom."

"Good." She pulled him into her arms and gave him a nice long hug. "I also know that you didn't went to see Green." She felt her son tense up around her arms and expressed a giggle.

"H-how did you..."

"Professor Oak said that Green was still in Viridian City."

"Oh..." Came his reply.

She pulled away from him and rested her hands on her hips. "'Oh' is right, Red. I don't want you to have to lie to me when something is bothering you."

"I'm sorry." He lowered his head.

An exasperated sigh exited her lips and she dragged him back into her arms, his head just inches away from her kisses. "Please. If you ever feel like anything is bothering you. Tell me. Don't just lie about where you'll be and go off somewhere. I hate not knowing where and what Ash is doing every time he goes off on his adventures. I want to know that at least _one _of my child is safe." She whispered.

Red blinked for a moment. His back arched up awkwardly from having to bend his upper body forward. His lean arms lifted themselves and encircled his mother's waist. "I'm sorry." He said again.

Delia stroked Red's hair and shushed him. "No... I'm sorry... I'm sorry for not being a good mother."

Upon hearing his mother put herself down. Red pushed himself away from her gently and stared straight into her eyes. His brows tilted upwards and his lips parted. "What are you talking about? You're a great mom!"

She shook her head. He noticed a tear had fell down her face. "You needn't be so modest. I know I've been a bad mom. I mean. Just look at me now. I've been lying to your baby brother for seventeen years. I've lied to him about everything. From his father and to you."

"But you were only trying to protect him... He's shown signs of-"

She whipped her head left and right violently. "No. Don't try to reason with me, Red. Please..."

He slumped his shoulders and dispatched from the touch of his mother. He saw Mr. Mime was merely a room away from the front entrance now. Red ran his fingers through his matted hair and leaned against the perch of the door frame.

"Mom. I'm serious. You've done the best you could. You've been a terrific mother to me. And I'm sure Ash feels the same way. Don't be so hard on yourself all the time. It worries me, a lot, actually." He stated.

"I know..."

"Guess it's my turn to tell ya the same thing you said to me earlier..." He snickered. "If there's anything you deem troubling to you. Talk to me, alright?" He gazed up at his mother.

She returned the stare and her aura grew warm again. "Yes. Thank you, Red. I don't know what I'd do without you..."

He shrugged. "Well, you'd have one less mouth to feed. And less laundry to do."

She playfully slapped his arm. "You really should do your own laundry sometimes, Red."

"Eh." He looked up into the ceiling and lifted his shoulders with his hands next to his head; the palms faced upwards.

"Come on. You should eat your breakfast now. I'll go heat it up." She suggested. Red nodded and the two entered the dinning room where Mr. Mime suspiciously busied himself with more work. It was evident to the Ketchum's that Mr. Mime had been eavesdropping. They decided to let it slide, seeing how they weren't so concerned about it. Delia thought it was touching that Mr. Mime was so worried about her; Red believed Mr. Mime was just curious.

As the eldest son sat down at his seat – which coincidentally belonged to Ash – he watched as his mother picked up his cold dish and went towards the microwave. The porcelain plate was gently placed onto the roller dish in the microwave. Delia shut the door of the appliance and pressed for thirty seconds. She walked away from the kitchen, not wanting to be hit with extra radiation.

Red could smell his breakfast already despite it still being warmed up in the electric box.

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep._

He grabbed the fork and knife from the table and had them stood tall as his hands gripped the utensils. Delia laughed at Red's action as she pulled his breakfast out.

"Oh man. It smells _really _good!" He complimented.

"Thank you. But just wait until you try it, Red." She said. The plate was in front of him, steaming absolute warmth. He could swear the smell and smoke of his breakfast had seeped into his clothes. But he didn't exactly care.

"I'm eating now!" He cried. His fork and knife stabbed into his breakfast. The screech of the stubby points of the knife against the hard surface of the plate made even the normal of humans wince. But not to Red's ears. He found them to be melodic in every way possible. He jabbed his fork into a large pile of scrambled eggs and stuffed them down his throat while he poked a sausage and let it fall into his mouth.

"Eat slowly, Red. You don't want to choke, now." Delia warned him.

"Mmm..." He replied – unable to speak since he was taught to never talk when there was food in his mouth – whether it be a small or large portion, it was deemed rude to say anything while food sprayed everywhere.

Delia marvelled and rolled her eyes as her eldest son gobbled down his breakfast in that bottomless pit of a stomach.

"What am I going to do with you?" She asked with a smirk on her face.

He shrugged. He had already swallowed and was able to give a reply. "Not sure. But you still love me, admit it."

She chuckled. "Finish up your breakfast, Red. We have a couple hours to ourselves before you head on over to Professor Oak's place."

He placed his fork and knife down onto the table mat and lifted his head up. "Remind me again why I'm going to his place?"

Delia picked up his empty plate and dirty utensils and walked over to the sink while Mr. Mime was busy doing the dishes.

"You're heading over there because he thought it'd be better than to have you travel all the way back to Mt. Silver. Plus, it'll give give you some time to get to know him better."

"But I _do _know him, mom."

She sighed. "I know that... It's just. He's being awfully gracious to offer you a place in his house. I'm sure he's already such a busy man with his research and everything. He couldn't begin to think about having you to leave home so fast. And besides. I'll visit you every day."

He snorted. His finger wagged a little in her direction as the arm stood up firm on the table top. "But you have Ash to worry about. He's the baby, here. Not me. I'm twenty-seven, remember?"

She nodded. "_Yes_, Red. I know that. But right now, you're my top priority." Delia answered with a huff. She gave Mr. Mime the rest of the dirty dishes and wiped her hands on her apron.

Red's face was crestfallen. He felt like he was four years old again and had done something wrong like having a Pokemon battle in the house again. His eyes gazed upwards at his sullen mother and he apologized in a tone so soft that it made Delia believe her eldest child was twenty-three years younger again.

"It's alright, Red. I should be the one apologizing. I'm sorry for having to say such things to you like that..."

"You're stressed about Ash coming home. It's a given." He replied with a smile on his lips.

Her lips turned upwards. "You're a good son, you know that, Red?"

He sat back tall again in his seat and puffed his chest out, gently hitting it with his fists. "I know."

**~oOo~**

Red couldn't help but make quick peeks at the clock every minute. Mr. Mime was keeping him company by playing a board game he loved as a child.

"Mime! Mai, mime! Mr. Mime! Mai!"

"S-sorry!" he flustered.

Mr. Mime crossed his arms and pouted angrily at the Champion.

Red picked up the die and encased them in his hands. He shook them as hard as possible and threw them down onto the coffee table. His face lit up when he saw that he had rolled two sixes.

"Alright!" He cheered. He picked up his piece and move it twelve spaces.

The mime Pokemon rolled his eyes and went. As the Pokemon rolled the die, Red checked the time on the clock again. Suddenly, Red felt two hard objects possibly puncture his head. He touched the area that has been hit and shot a hurtful glare at the one person in the room with him.

"_Not nice, _Mr. Mime!" He hissed.

"Mime! Mime mime, Mr. Mime, mai, mai mime!" He got up and left the living room.

Red leaned back into the sofa and looked at the board game and the die that laid on the carpet next to his feet. He didn't bother to do anything now. Mr. Mime was probably right. He was distracted – make that _very _distracted. The issue with Ash coming back sometime at four or whatever unnerved him. He should have been used to this by now... But seeing how Ash always ends up taking months and months off in an unknown Region for his journey, Red would always, _always _be at home with their mother and spend actual time with her instead of neglecting her – kind of like what Ash has been doing for seven years.

He sighed as he took his hat off. He sort of forgot he still had it on this entire time. His mother would have said something about no hats in the house – but he assumed she forgot because of the stress and worrying. He couldn't blame her. He too was feeling every bit of those things.

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Red turned around in his comfy seat and watched his mother picked up the video phone.

"Ash?"

"Oh boy..." Red whispered. He got up and reached the other room. Delia saw him coming in and reverted her gaze back to her youngest son. Red crouched down and moved to the other side of his mother. He ended up having to sit down on the ground too in order to listen in without being seen by Ash.

"_Pidgeot and I just made a stop not too far from Pallet Town. We'll be there in probably an hour or so!_" Ash piped. Red cringed at his brother's hoarse voice.

"Oh! That's lovely! I can't wait to see you, Ash."

"_Same here, mom! I really miss ya..._"

Red wanted to gag. He wasn't sure why he was being so critical of Ash right now – maybe it was the fact he had a pair of die thrown at him. Or maybe because everything about Ash is just too damn stressful.

"_I also miss Mr. Mime,_" Ash added quickly with a laugh.

"Well. You and Pidgeot have a good trip back now. Be safe okay honey?"

"_Don't worry mom. I'll be back in no time flat! And right now, we may even be back in less than an hour probably._"

Red watched from below as his mother and brother talked like everything was normal. He bit his lip and lowered his gaze to his crisscrossed legs. Maybe they were both wrong. Maybe the one who would resent their brother was him and _not _Ash. Red couldn't believe what he was currently feeling towards him. Ash didn't do anything personal to him at all – asides from worrying their mother every damn day and neglecting her as he skips around on his journey.

A 'click' put Red back into reality and when he looked up, Ash was no longer on the screen – instead, it was just black. He pushed himself from the floor and stood next to his mother.

"He's going to come back much earlier than anticipated..." Delia commented as she looked at the time. It was almost one forty in the afternoon.

Red shrugged. "Well... I'll start packing up my things and make the bed..." He began to trudge along to the wooden stairs that led to his room – or well, in this case, Ash's room.

Once he reached the narrow walkway, he side stepped to his former room and entered. It hadn't really changed much, asides from the messy bed and pillows all over the floor. He kept it the way it was. He was sort of glad Ash didn't touch anything or changed anything when he used this room after he left for his own journey.

Red bent down and reached for a duffel bag that hid under the piles of weird suspicious items that covered the empty space below the top bed. He sniffed the bag to make sure it didn't smell like dirty gym socks being washed with a mix of expired milk and rotten eggs.

"It's still good." He announced to no one in particular. He laid the bag zipped open on the floor and started to collect his things. His clothes, personal items and of course – underwear.

A knock sounded in the room. Red was busy to see who it was so he told whoever it was to come in.

"Red, sweetie?"

"Oh, hey mom." He said, still folding his shirts and pants.

"Do you need any help with that?" She asked.

He shook his head. "I'm fine, mom. Thanks."

Silence arose awkwardly in the room. As much as he enjoyed the peacefulness, he could sense his mother was getting uncomfortable.

"Actually... I think I may need to pack some extra underwear..." He said with a smile.

His mother giggled before she agreed to get some more. When she left the room, Red sunk his head down between his knees – he had been sitting down by then – and clutched his head with his two hands. They intertwined with his hair and he made sure to grab a hold of them and pulled to keep him grounded.

Small faint footsteps drew nearer to his room but he could barely hear them. His mind was exploding with different emotions that he thought he might as well died right there in his room. He felt small hands placed on his shoulders which caused him to tense up a little. When one of the hand went to rub his back, he relaxed and felt the hot tears drip onto his clean clothes.

"I'm sorry you have to put up with something like this every time... I just wish everything was different... I wish we didn't have to do this..."

"I know... We've had this conversation before, remember?" He sniffed. "I don't blame you... I don't, really... I too, wished everything was different. I wished that I would still be here to greet Ash back when he came home. I wished that he would tell me everything that he had encountered on his journeys in different Regions, the people he's met, the Pokemon he's saw..."

"Maybe one day... One day, we'll tell him the truth..."

He nodded. "Yeah..." He wrapped his arms around his mother tightly, breathing in the smell of her natural sweet scent.

**~oOo~**

"Have you gotten everything?"

"Yes."

"Toothbrush?"

"Got it."

"Pyjamas?"

"All in here."

"What about underwear?"

He laughed. "You've already given me five extra pairs of undies, mom."

She leaned on one of her leg and crossed her arms. "I know. I just want to make sure you have enough clean underwear."

"Don't worry. I will. Heck, I'll even _wash _the dirty ones myself at Professor Oak's place."

Delia rose a weary brow at him. "You? Doing the laundry? Well... If I knew you were going to do that, I would have sent you off to live on your own ages ago."

"Technically, I _am _living on my own. Remember, I live on top of Mt. Silver."

She rolled her eyes playfully. "Even so, you stay up there for so long. You don't do much on top of a lonely mountain you know."

His shoulders shook and an open wide grin flashed across his face. "I guess not."

"Mime, Mr. Mime! Mime mime!"

Red looked at Mr. Mime and patted his head. "I'll be back soon, I promise. I bet you anything that Ash will go prancing off to another new Region to try and become the Champion and all that."

Mr. Mime beamed at Red and nodded in agreement.

"I give it 'bout two weeks _tops_, that he ends up leaving here to whatever Region Professor Oak mentions to him about." He joked.

"Red," Delia said in a warning voice.

"Right, right. Sorry..." He replied, laughing.

"You have a safe trip to Professor Oak. Call me when you get there." Delia said to him.

"And what if Ash is in the room when I call?"

"I'll handle that. Just remember to call, okay?"

Red nodded. "Not a problem." He hoisted the strap of the duffel bag over his head and it hung heavily at his side. The curve of his shoulder and neck had begun to hurt already too. "Well... I'm off..."

"Be safe." Said Delia.

He saluted his mother and gave her a quick nod. "Will do."

As he left his one and only home in Pallet, he turned back around and gave them a wave. Of course, they'll still see him soon when Ash leaves. But for now, it's a simple 'good-bye' and 'see you soon'.

It wasn't even twenty minutes and Red had already lost sight of his house a quarter way to his trip to Professor Oak's place. He looked up into the spotless blue skies and shielded his eyes from the sun despite the visor part of his hat to have done it for him already.

"It'll get better..." He said to himself. "I just know it will..." When he took the next few steps, he hadn't watched where he was going and accidentally bumped into someone.

"Oh, sorry about-" He paused when he realized who he had ran into.

"It's no problem!"

"Pika, pi! Pikachu!"

Red couldn't believe what had just happened. He didn't believe _who _was standing in front of him. He thought this was a little trick his mind was playing. He wanted to pinch himself but it may come across odd to the person in front of him.

"Um... You alright, there...?"

Red snapped out of it and quickly thought of something to say. "Oh uhm... Y-yeah, I'm fine..."

"Pika?"

Red looked down at his feet and saw a Pikachu gaze up at him with beady black-brown eyes. His cheeks were as red as fire and small sparks of electricity shot out from it. The Pikachu seemed to be very happy.

"Pikachu seems to like you."

Red laughed. "I did own a Pikachu before... Maybe that's why."

"Whoa!" The boy shouted. "Really!? I thought my Pikachu was the only one! Well, asides from Lt. Surge's Raichu – but that doesn't count. He evolved his Pikachu quickly so..."

Red couldn't help but continue to be amused at the boys' rambling.

"Oh geez! I'm sorry! I'm probably holding you up or something, right?"

"Huh?"

The boy pointed to the large bag that was threatening to collapse onto the ground. "That bag. You going somewhere?"

"O-oh! This..." He replied as he touched the side of his bag. "Uh... Yeah, I'm... I'm going somewhere, alright, ha ha."

"You on a journey?"

"Mm... I guess you can say that." Red smiled.

"Oh neat! I just recently got back from my journeys in Unova."

"I heard that place is one amazing Region." Red commented.

The boy nodded. "It is! It's absolutely wonderful! So unlike the other places I've gone to."

Red rose his eyebrows. "Others? You must be a trainer then, I'm assuming."

"Yeah! I'm striving to become a Pokemon Master!"

"Pika pi!"

The Champion of Kanto smirked at his comment. He never realized something like this would happen to him. He's been hiding himself from this boy his entire life – and yet here he was. He was talking to that very boy he and his mom decided to lie to. Ash Ketchum and his Pikachu stood before him. Ash was once again babbling about his dreams and goals and whatnot.

"I'm sorry, again. I sort of need to get going." Ash said as he checked the time on his wrist.

Red shook his head. "Hey. It's not a problem." He sank down and began to pet Pikachu.

Ash smiled. "Come on Pikachu. Let's go home."

Upon hearing this, Pikachu escaped Red's touch and ran up next to Ash's leg and sat there with a button of a smile.

Red stood up and adjusted the position of the strap and the bag. "It was nice talking to you. Hope you achieve your goal, kid."

"Thanks!"

As the two of them were about to make their way past each other, Red added one more thing with a scarce whisper that was loud enough for only Ash to hear.

"Welcome home, Ash."

Red continued to walk on as he faintly heard Ash in the background, confused, probably. But that didn't stop the Champion from turning around. He just continued to move forward with his hands in his pockets and his head held high.

**oOoOoOoOoOo**

**A/N: This story is completed. Don't bother checking the "story alert" button or whatever. Please.**

**But anyways. Man. I thought I'd never finish this chapter. It's longer than the previous two that's for sure...**

**And I realized the title page and this last scene does not make sense. In the title page, Red has no duffel bag on him... But... Whatever... I-it's a title page... And... Y-yeah... Bad planning on my part...**

**-EPRika-**


End file.
